Tag: Black Homeowners of TC

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. In 1956 Nathan Levin died and Colonial Inv. Co. vice president Harry A. Badt took his place in the foreclosure paperwork. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 16 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 16 Bates NW to Wilhelmina and William U. Scott.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Scotts borrowed $5,750 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• August 1962 the Scotts were released from their mortgage owning their home free and clear.
• October 1975 received a loan for $4,250 from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development.

Well. This one was very different. The Scotts bought the whole house, paid it off and owned it for most of their lives. Wilhelmina died in 2008, but a few years before she passed there was a Power of Attorney signed over to her nephew. So it turned out well.

The Scotts were hard to pin down. I discovered Wilhelmina’s maiden name, Pitt. She and William must have married after 1940. In the 1940 census she was living with her mother and siblings, who were named in her obituary, in Cecil, MD working as a parlor maid. There were two or more William U. Scotts. I did find a valveman William “A” Scott with a wife named Wilhelmina in the 1933 DC city directory. However, there were several William Scotts throughout the world married to women named Wilhelmina.

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 65 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 65 Bates NW to Alice N. and Wilston S. DeVaughn.
• Dec 1950 the DeVaughns borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 65 Bates St NW to Louis J. and Martha J. Peace.
• Dec 1950 the Peaces borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• July 1952 the DeVaughns lost their half to foreclosure and through an auction the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
• October 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the foreclosed unit to Arabella and James E. Byrnes.
• Oct 1952 the Byrnes borrowed $3,148.95 from Levin and Weightman.
• Oct 1952 the Peaces lost their half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube repossessed the property with an auction.
• November 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the unit to Ralph and Vera A. Wright.
• Nov 1952 the Wrights borrowed $3,164.38 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
• April 1956 the Byrnes sold their unit back to the Colonial Investment Co. represented by Harry A. Badt, Evans and Taube. The document noted that James E. Byrnes died February 3, 1955. They were released from their mortgage March 1959.
• May 1957 the Wrights lost their half to foreclosure. Through an auction the property was repossessed by Badt, Evans, and Taube, thus bringing the whole house back under the ownership of the Colonial Investment Co.
• May 1957 Harry and Jennie Badt transferred/sold some or all of their interest in the property to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
• March 1959 (doc #1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors, their spouses sold this and several other Truxton Circle properties to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• Between 1971-1972 Basiliko was released from three mortgages and the next document has the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) as the owner, so we are left to assume around 1970 Basiliko sold the property to RLA.
• Around 1978 the DC RLA sold/transferred this and other properties to the Bates Street Associates. A contract (doc #7800024140) DC RLA and Bates Street Associates, Inc hints to a deed I cannot find.

There were several foreclosures and a selling back. This makes me question the original motives of Colonial Investment Co. This fits the pattern of foreclosure followed by George Basiliko, followed by DC RLA then followed by the Bates Street Associates. Continue reading WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 65 Bates Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 67 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 67 Bates Street NW to Geneva M. Harrison.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 1951) Mrs. Harrison borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 67 Bates St NW to Marion Grayson and Catherine VM Smith, both married persons. Marion was a man.
• Feb 1951 Grayson and Smith borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• May 1954 Mrs. Harrison lost her half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube who regained ownership through an auction.
• April 1957 Grayson and Smith lost their half to foreclosure. Colonial Investment Co. leadership, Harry A. Badt, Evans, and Taube repossessed the property via an auction.
• April 1957, Harry and wife Jennie Badt transferred/ sold their interest in this and several properties to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
• March 1959 (doc# 1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 67 Bates St NW and other properties on the block to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• Between 1971-1972 Basiliko was released from three mortgages and the next document has the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) as the owner, so we are left to assume around 1970 Basiliko sold the property to RLA.
• June 1980 (doc #8000020294) the DC RLA sold/transferred this and other properties to BSA Limited Partnership. BSA is possibly short for Bates Street Associates. It is paired with doc #8000020221 a contract between DC RLA and BSA Ltd Partnership.

It was interesting that both units went into foreclosure and Colonial Investment Co. did not bother to resell them and then sold them to Basiliko. I’m 90% certain, without a document to prove it, that Basiliko sold it to DC RLA. Then it went from RLA to some version of the Bates Street Associates.

The name Geneva M. Harrison seemed familiar so I discovered she also bought 50 Bates Street NW . So who was Geneva M. Harrison? She was born August 24, 1915 and married to William A. (Buttercup) Harrison who died in 1948. That year’s city directory she was listed as living at 221 Q St NW and working as a maid for Washington Loan and Trust. In the 1950 census, she was still living at 221 Q St NW, but working as a dietician at a hospital. Notably, her 17 year old son William was also working at a hospital as a cook. There were several people living at 221 Q. There were her two daughters Lillian and Rosa (15 yo and 12), the before mentioned son, his 16 year old wife, their infant son William Jr. and a 50 year old roomer. She owned (for a time) 67 and 50 Bates Street and in 1973 she purchased 5129 H St SE, then sold it in 1978.

Grayson also seemed like a familiar name. It was but the people were different, just same surname. Then the question is why did Grayson and Smith buy a unit together? Looking up Marion Grayson, there is a record of Grayson marrying in 1947 a Barbara Varnetta Smith. She was the daughter of Clarence L. and Catherine V. Smith. So he bought a unit with his mother-in-law.

In 1950 Catherine Smith (nee Muse) was a 43 year old African American housewife living with her husband and three of their children at 415 New York Ave NW (where the YALE apartments sit now). Her husband Clarence worked as a gas station attendant and 19 year old daughter Jacqueline sold newspapers. Her other daughter Barbara was living with her husband’s family at 1137 8th St NW with her 1st husband Marion Grayson and infant son Sheldon. Marion was working for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing as a printers helper.

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 77 Bates St NW:

• January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 77 Bates Street NW to Vernie V. Carter and Randolph E. Williams, both married…probably not to each other.
• Jan 1951 Carter and Williams borrowed $5,800 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• July 1956 Carter and Williams lost 77 Bates to foreclosure and new Colonial partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, and Taube repossessed the property via an auction.
• July 1956 Harry A. Badt and wife Jennie sold/transferred some or all of their interest in the property to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
• March 1959 (doc 1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 77 Bates and other properties on the block to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• Sometime in the 1970s, there is no document found, noted slum landlord George Basiliko sold 77 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency.
• In 1978 (no document but a contract 7800024140) the DC Redevelopment Land Agency sold 77 Bates to the Bates Street Associates, Incorporated (BSA).
• September 1980 the BSA, Incorp. transferred the property to the Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership. Is there a difference between the two? No idea. Anyway… that happened.
• April 1982 the Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership sold the property back to the District of Columbia.

It fits the pattern.

So I was curious about Randolph E. Williams and Vernie V. Carter. I found people but I don’t know if these are the same people. The most likely Vernie Carters of all the Vernie Carters was a Vernie V. Carter, a 31 year old Af-Am woman who was working and living as a maid for a White family (the Art Brown family) in 1940 Arlington, VA. She was listed as married. Randolph E. Williams could be Randolph Ernest Williams Sr.

The Randolph E. Williams I picked, I found was born in Virginia in 1913. He listed Mrs. Vernie Virginia Carter, his sister, on his World War II draft card. She lived in Arlington, VA.  Vernie had married Hampton Carter and had at least one child. Anyway, Randolph married Hildegarde Anita Burns in 1940. In the 1950 census he lived at 4105 4th St SE with his wife and their 3 children. He worked as a janitor.

It is interesting that brother and sister tried to be homeowners or landlords. A quick search showed that in 1963 he and wife Hildegarde bought 831 Xenia Street SE. Records from 2006 mention Hildegarde’s death on October 19, 2003. So the foreclosure was a temporary setback.

 

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 37 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 37 Bates St NW to Lenora Willis.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Mrs. Willis borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 37 Bates St NW to Ana Aiken.
• Jan 1951 Ana Aiken borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• October 1952 Lenora Willis lost her home to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
• October 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the foreclosure to Fred and Johnola M. Thorpe.
• October 1952 the Thorpes borrowed $3,148.94 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
• February 1959 Ana Aiken lost her home to foreclosure. Through an auction it returned to Colonial Investment Co. partners Evans, Taube and Nathan Levin’s replacement Harry A. Badt.
• June 1959 (document # 1959024641) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors, and their spouses sold 37 Bates, as part of a large property package, to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• June 1974 the Thorpes were released from their mortgage.
• September 1974 widow Johnola Thorpe sold her half to George Basiliko.
• August 1978 the Basilikos sold the property to the Bates Street Ventures Partnership.
• November 1981 the Bates Street Ventures Partnership sell/transfer the property back to George Basiliko.

Since Johnola Thorpe’s name was unusual I decided to look it up. Well I could not find much on her. I did discover that Fred Thorpe died February 1, 1962 and they still lived at 37 Bates St NW. Fred Douglas Thorpe was born October 10, 1910 in North Carolina.

The goal of this was to see if 37 Bates fit the pattern. Sort of. There are two foreclosures and the property got sold to George Basiliko. However, it did not get passed on to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency nor the Bates Street Associates.

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 1543 3rd St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1543 3rd NW to Pearl L. and William A. Nixon.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Nixons borrowed $3,375 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1543 3rd St NW to Ms. Dorothy J. Snowden, a divorcee.
• December 1950 Ms. Snowden borrowed $3,375 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• October 1961 the Nixons were released from their mortgage and owned their half free and clear.
• May 1964 Ms. Snowden was released from her mortgage and owned her half free and clear.
• December 1965 Ms. Snowden sold her half to George Basiliko….. sigh.
• October 1977 Basiliko sold his half to Cathleen Marie Tate, Francine Louise,  and John Tate.
• October 1977 the Tates borrowed $5,300 at 9% APR from trustees Leonard  C. Collins and John M. Swagart.
• August 1990 the estate of Pearl L. Mullen and William J. Nixon sold the other half to Tates.

This was a decent one…. until Ms. Snowden sold her half to Geo. Basiliko. Both original buyers managed to pay off their loans within 10-13 years.

In the 1950 census husband and wife William and Pearl Nixon lived at 619 Q St. NW in the lower unit. William was an AfAm hospital janitor, his wife was a homemaker and they lived with 2 roomers. William married Pearl Lillian Garner in 1924 in Guilford, NC. By the 1930 census they were in Washington, DC living at 1416 New Jersey Ave NW with their 4 year old son William James Calvin Nixon. During World War II they lived at 1721 11th St NW.

Their neighbor Dorothy Jacqueline Wallace was born July 13, 1927 in Woodville, VA. At some point she married Bernard M. Snowden Jr. They had three sons and a daughter. She died in 1989 and it appears she managed to avoid several censuses.

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 219 Bates St NW:

• January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 219 Bates NW to Alma L. and Andrew A. Simms.
• January 1951 the Simms borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• December 1950 (Recorded 05/01/1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 219 Bates St NW to Ella B. and Richard H. Simms.
• December 1950 Ella and Richard Simms borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• April 1954 Alma and Andrew Simms lost their half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube regained possession of the property via an auction.
• June 1959 new Colonial Investments partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, Taube, the survivors of Nathan Levin and their spouses, as part of a large property package, sold 219 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• October 1960 the remaining Simms lost their half of the house to foreclosure. Badt, Evans and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
• February 1961 Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold the remaining half to George Basiliko.
• July 1970, as part of a larger property package (document 1970011877), Sophia and George Basiliko sold 219 Bates St NW to the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
• August 1979, as part of a larger property package (document #7900028039), DC RLA sold/transferred the house to the Bates Street Associates Inc.

This house fits the unfortunate pattern. There were foreclosures, it went to the Basilikos, DC RLA and eventually the Bates Street Associates.

So with the two Simms households I had to figure out if and how these people were related. Andrew Augustus Simms born in La Plata, MD on December 1924, married Alma Lucy Moore June 30, 1942 in DC. Richard Hubert Simms was his younger brother born August 1927 in DC. Richard married Ella Elizabeth Butler in June of 1946.

So they were related. This seems to have made the story more tragic.

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 214 Q St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 214 Q NW to Ms Sarah Cathey.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Cathey borrowed $6,250 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• July 1955, the widowed Mrs. Cathey borrowed $4,500 at 6% APR from trustees Spencer E. Fitzgerald and Frank Paroni.
• August 1962 Cathey was released from her Levin & Weightman loan.
• January 1968 Elizabeth H. Pinkney, Cathey’s daughter and sole heir, borrowed $2,595 from trustees HF Brown III and Peter M. Lampris to pay R & W Construction Co.
• January 1972 document #1972001370, we’re informed that Sarah Cathey died July 28, 1957 and Elizabeth Pinkney became Mrs. Elizabeth Hughes. Mrs. Hughes and her husband Joseph Hughes sold the home to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency for $11,400.

I’ll stop there with DC RLA. This was a good one. A widow was able to purchase a whole house, not half a house like other WSIC homes. There was no foreclosure, especially after obtaining a loan outside of the Colonial Investment bubble.

I was able to find a little something about Ms. Cathey looking at Ancestry. In the 1954 DC city directory she was a maid living at 214 Q St NW, proving she was a homeowner. In the 1940 census she was renting a unit at 1610 1st St NW living with her daughter, then Elizabeth Hall, and three grandchildren. She was a Black widow from South Carolina, working as a maid for an office building. Elizabeth was also listed as a Black widow and was not employed. For the 1930 census the family lived at 34 E St NW. It was just Ms. Cathey, working as a domestic, her married daughter and her newborn grandson.

Via the 1930 census I was able to find her in the 1950 census, which was interesting. The family lived at 60 Q St NW Apt #2. Cathey was still working as a maid at 60 years old, but for an insurance company. Her 39 year old daughter had a job as a telephone operator for an apartment building. Her 22 year old grandson, William F., worked as a file clerk for the IRS. Her two other grandchildren were school aged. Also in the house hold was William’s wife who worked as a typist for the Navy Dept and Cathey’s 56 year old widowed brother Henry Thompson, who did not have a job.

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 140 Q St NW:

• January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 140 Q NW to Harriet B. and Paul S. Goodwin.
• Jan 1951 the Goodwins borrowed $3,150 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 140 Q St NW to George and wife Willie M. Cromer.
• Jan 1951 the Cromers borrowed $3,150 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• November 1954 the Goodwins sold their half back to Evans, Levin, and Taube.
• November 1954 the Cromers lost their half of the property to foreclosure. Evans, Levin, and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
• March 1959 the Goodwins were released from their mortgage.
• March 1959 the Colonial Investment Co partners and the Levin survivors, in a larger property package, sold their interest in the property to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• July 1970 (doc# 1970011877) Basiliko, as part of a large package, sold 140 Q and many other properties to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
• June 1980 DC RLA entered into a contract (doc # 8000020221) with BSA (Bates Street Associates) and transferred a large number of properties to the venture (doc # 8000020294, signatories on p.5) Bates Street Associates (BSA).

I’ll end it with the BSA. So there was one foreclosure and that was the same month when the remaining owners sold the property back to Colonial Investments. Then it went to George Basiliko, known landlord of “slum” properties. And then the pattern is continued when it was sold to DC RLA who passed it on to BSA.

George Cromer in the 1950 census was living at an apartment building at 1031 8th St NW with his wife Willie and their one year old son. He repaired tracks for the transit company. Prior to that, during WW2, they were at 1241 8th St NW and he worked for what is now PEPCO. According to that description he was a dark complexioned Afro-American man who was 5’9″ and 183 lbs.

In 1950 the Goodwins were living with family at 411 1/2 Franklin St NW…. Dang those houses are tiny. Less than 1000 sq ft tiny and there were 4 adults and 5 minor children in the house. Four of the children were the Goodwins’ kids. Paul was working for a construction company and Harriet was a maid. Her father Lewis Ruffin was a carpenter. Paul died in 1954, so that could be the reason the property was sold back to Colonial Investments.